This collection of photos is from my recent trip to Mexico City (February 2024). Some skate homies were chatting about taking a skate trip, and within minutes, we had acquired a nine-person crew for this mission to CDMX. The most surprising thing about exploring the city during a skate trip  is that an unplanned day can fill up with plenty of sights to see, real quick. Our Airbnb was in Roma Sur, right next to the ECOBICI city bike station. We all purchased the weekly bike pass, which came in clutch for exploring the city with a crew of our size. The bikes conveniently had bungee cords that held a skateboard after a few minor adjustments. Our days revolved around loose plans to arrive in an area we knew had at least one skatespot. But as we roamed this concrete jungle for spots, we would be surprised by a playground in this cosmopolitan park. One memorable spot had funky cement slides and seating areas around a jungle gym that we sessioned for quite a while, with no trouble from security or pedestrians. It seemed that many people passing by were curious about the group of foreigners skating back and forth on this playground equipment.

The local skate homies gifted us with spots outside the central city of Mexico, like this rec center in Cuautepec De Madero, which we were told was one of the first skateparks in Mexico City. Just next to the decrepit skatepark were these unique steep banks and ledges that surrounded the basketball courts and were perfectly skateable. Sean was real close to landing this frontside rock on the bank to wallride, and I really liked how the photo came out. Full disclosure, the trick was not landed. I guess we will need a round-two trip for the clip. On the journey north to this skate spot, we noticed this giant gondola lift strung from the tippy top of the town down towards the city and figured it could be a way back towards home. When we arrived at the entrance point, we realized this cable car wasn't much of a tourist attraction but more of a means to get local commuters to the city. We had an astonishing view at sunset as we flew over mountains of houses with a top-down view into these folks' neighborhood.

We were warned not to be outside on Friday because there was going to be a protest throughout the city, which caused many local businesses to shut down from fear of violence. So, we took a "rest day" from skating but still ended up doing a several-mile hike north of the city at the pyramids of Teotihuacan. On the way back home, our Uber driver wasn't able to get back into the city because of the Women's Day march. So, we decided to hop out of the car and follow the Women's Day marchers for a while. We found out several political events were happening during our short time in Mexico. Mexico was having its presidential elections, and for the first time in Mexican history, there were two women candidates. The day before, protesters rammed a truck through the presidential palace in response to their government's cover-up of 43 students who were kidnapped during a school trip. The endless sea of passionate protesters definitely made an impact on the city. When we got back to the Airbnb,  I could use Google Translate to understand some of the signs these women were holding up. Many messages are visible in the photos below: "I exist because I resist" or "because it is not yet my turn." "This is fighting like a girl." "The fight is a collective poem."

Thank you for reading and thank you to the homies who I got to experience this trip with. Let's plan another one soon. Excuse my obsession with ‘80s and ‘90s Volkswagens. I love that those boxy cars are still kickin' it somewhere. But enjoy my dog Arrow’s 10th birthday photos.✌️